Gearing for cycles.



No. 680,235. Patented Aug. l3, mm.

B. ECGLES. e

e EAmua FOR cvuas.

(Appliufion filed Oct. 4. 1900.)

(lb Modal.)

UNITED STATES- PATENT FFICE.

ROBERT ECCLES, OF BALLYYVALTER, IRELAND.

GEARING FOR CYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,235, dated August13, 1901.

Application filed October 4, 1900. Serial No. 31,962. (No model.)

T to whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT EccLEs, carpenter, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britian, and a resident of Main street, Ballywalter, county ofDown, Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGearing for Cycles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of tread-lever gearfor cycles which is efficient in action and strong in construction.

The strain due to the working of the long tread-levers is very great,and therefore it is essential that the cycle be so constructed that theparts while not being too heavy should be able to bear the strainwithout warping or bending in any way, and, further, that the workingparts should be so made as to give the minimum of friction. As will bereadily understood, unless these essentials are characteristic of thegear the bicycle will not be a success. It is for want of theseessential characteristics that gears of a similar nature which haveheretofore been made have all failed.

The object of my invention is to provide a tread-lever gear which whilebeing strongly and simply constructed shall give the minimum of frictionwhen working. The gear for both driving-cranks is of course the same.

In order that my said invention may be properly understood, I havehereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon Figure 1shows a bicycle fitted with the improved gear in side elevation. Fig. 2is an enlarged side View of the gear. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front Viewof the gear. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section through one of the joints[1,. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through one of the fulcrum-joints Z.

In constructing the bicycle I make the diamond frame a longer than usualand with the seat-pillar tube a vertical or nearly vertical.

b is the front wheel, and c the back wheel.

at is the chain, and e the chain-wheel.

f is the crank-axle.

The driving-cranks g g, which may be otherwise of the ordinaryconstruction, are made somewhat shorter than usual and have jointed tothem, by means of pin-and-ball joints 72, links it, which are jointed bymeans of pinsj to the forked ends of tread-levers k it. Thesetread-levers are fulcrnmed on pins Z, secured in the bent arms m m ofthe forked bracket 'n, which latter is secured rigidly, by means ofstuds 0 0 or in other suitable manner, to the seat-pillar tube a of thecycle-frame. Attached to the ends of the tread-levers are ordinarycycle-pedals p p, or, if desired, foot plates or treadles may be usedinstead of pedals.

As will be seen from Fig.4, the joint h is formed by a pin q, securedrigidly to the end of the crank g. This pin hascones r'r' upon it, andcups 8 s are inserted in the hollow tof the link i. A double set ofballs at run between the cups and cones. In the case of thefulcrum-joint (shown at Fig. 5) the pin Z is secured rigidly in the armm of the bracket n and has cones 'u on it. Cups 10 are inserted in thehollow of the lever in, and ballsw run between the cups and cones.

By having the levers To It fulcrumed atZ to a bracket '11, which issecured to the tube a, the whole strain of the gear when Working isthrown onto the tube a and the bottom bracket carrying the axle fi'whichis the strongest part of the frame. Further, the fork n enables thestrain due to the working of the two levers 7t 7a to be thrown equallyon each side of the frame and not to any appreciable extent more to oneside than the other, which is a mostimportant point. The whole strain ofthe levers when the driver is pedaling is thrown onto the fulcrums Z,and by them transmitted to the arms m, and by them.

again to the tube, which being nearly vertical tends as a consequence toexert all the pressure downward onto the bottom bracket, which, asbefore stated, is the strongest part of the machine. For the purpose ofreducing friction when working, the joints and f ul crums are made withthe ball-bearings.

With this construction of tread-lever gear great power can betransmitted to the crankaxle and chain-wheel. In practice it is foundthat with this gear a greater speed can be obtained than with theordinary gears and with no appreciably greater expenditure of muscularenergy.

A cycle with this gear is found to be exceptionally suitable for ladies.

The forked bracket 11, with the depending arms m, constitutes a mostconvenient and rigid form of support for the levers 7c.

The pivot-pins 7' at the ends of the levers may be made to work inball-bearings.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In a cycle-gear,-the combination with the driving-axle mounted on thelower end of the seat-pillar tube, of cranks g g upon said axle,

links 71 2" connected to the cranks by joints h, tread-levers 7cfulcrumed as at Z on fixed ballbearing fulcrums and having their arms,is, connected to the links 2' 1; by joints j, pedals 19 upon the levers,and the forked bracket 12 secured to the seat-pillar tube and havingrigid arms m m supporting the fixed ballbearing fulcrums of the leversat the lower extremities of said arms, all arranged sub-- stantially asshown and described.

Signed at Belfast, county of Antrim, Ireland, this 21st day ofSeptember, 1900.

ROBERT ECCLES. Witnesses:

ABRAHAM WALKER, JAMES BEST.

